Stress and Diet

@Paradiselost: My brother was told in 1969 that stress was a major factor when he suddenly developed psoriasis. I suddenly developed psoriasis all over my body in 1980 during my final year at university - I was definitely feeling stressed and worried about my final exams. As soon as I graduated it began to fade noticeably - it did not go away, but was noticably less "angry" in appearance. In my case, I have never seen evidence of any link between my diet or alcohol consumption and my psoriasis. However, adjusting your diet or eliminating something for 2-3 months is a cheap way to try something for yourself. Over the last 44 years I have had years of heavy regular drinking, years of light, occasional drinking and even periods (6-12 months) of total abstinence - I saw no change at all in my psoriasis. good luck.

Hi paradiselost I was diagnosed with psoriasis in 1983, age 7. My skin has significantly improved over the last two years. If I stuck the remaining patches of psoriasis together, they'd fill a postage stamp. In response to your questions: 1) In 2021 I read Pete Walker's book "Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving" and realised I'd experienced Complex PTSD most of my life. In 2022 I learnt from PTSD UK's website about the link between psoriasis and PTSD. There are two articles on the website: "The Link Between Skin Conditions and PTSD" and "Unexpected physical symptoms of PTSD". Also in 2022, I started working with a Chartered Clinical Psychologist. This included Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), hypnotherapy, and Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). 2) I realised 20 years ago that eating healthily improved my skin. To lose weight I stopped eating chocolate and crisps, switched to wholemeal bread, ate more vegetables etc. In 2020 I started working with a nutritional therapist. Although the industry isn't regulated, I've only worked with those who are members of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), and The Institute for Functional Medicine. My supplement plan is reviewed quarterly, and once a year a detailed blood test is undertaken. Hope this helps.

Hi paradiselost I have just joined this group on behalf of my 28 year old son. He developed psoriasis aged 18 when he was in a bad place physically and mentally and taking things he shouldn’t. His psoriasis is very bad all over he’s tried everything. Via the dermatologist including methotrexate and immunotherapy. He has had virtually identical issues including with Enstillar as you and is currently trying an exclusion diet avoiding gluten, dairy, sugar, citrus, nightshade plant based foods, alcohol. After 3 weeks there is slight improvement but it’s a very hard diet. I agree that stress could be the worst trigger however he was ill with tonsillitis a year ago and couldn’t eat for. a week and the psoriasis virtually cleared. It was this that made him think I could be related to diet. I’m also very interested to hear more from those who have tried using diet as a treatment and stress management.

I am 52 and I've had psoriasis since the age of 16. When I first got it we had no idea what it even was, started as one spot on my elbow then quickly popped up everywhere else. It was a very stressful time being a young female in 10th grade or at least I thought it was lol. The first doc I went to called it the crying disease. I must say though that I had strep throat not long before the psoriasis came along so I do believe it was a trigger which I've read about before. I have given up alcohol in the past and honestly have seen no difference, but alcohol is known to affect people in different ways so probably worth a try since it's also known to dry out your skin. My husband and I are trying to use the Mediterranean style diet but it's hard for me to pass up a steak and baked potato. Some doctors believe it is related to something similar to leaky gut. The Mediterranean Dish is what we've been reading, experimenting with a lot of varieties of vegetables and fish. It's made us branch out from our normal diets and it's been quite interesting. I have used numerous sorts of ointments, creams, liquids, you name it. I am currently on Humira and have been for 6 years. It's a biologic and I honestly don't care if I glow in the dark using it....I will use it until I can't. I hope the alcohol free and change in your diet helps, keep us posted. I live in the USA in NC but I haven't found any site locally here this interesting.

Hi all Thank you so much for your helpful responses. It is interesting to hear about other people's experiences with stress and flare ups - I do think that this could be a trigger a lot of people don't necessarily think about. Diet-wise, it can be difficult to know what to do. I have read pretty much every food group is inflammatory at some point or another! As of now, I am sticking to eating lots of fruit and vegetables, reducing gluten and sugar, and no alcohol at all. Whether this actually makes a different or not, who knows, but it can't hurt to be eating a bit healthier! Wishing you all the best

1. Has anyone noticed any particular improvements when addressing their stress levels? Has anybody been told that stress is a strong trigger, which needs to be addressed? I got plaque psoriasis out of the blue in 2020 & was told it was stress related (due my husband passed away suddenly shortly before Covid) and I felt like anything I did didn't make any difference. 2. Has anybody tried certain diets and NOT seen improvements? I essentially want to get to the bottom of whether eliminating food is often just for people who have a pre-existing intolerance, or whether it would work well for everyone. After an Enstilar rebound? (as this was during Covid I was in agony, my skin was on fire & I was in so much pain, I was bedridden for a week, and my GP said I'm going to wind up in hospital with a serious skin infection if I didn't start using Enstilar again, as it ended up taking 13 months to get my urgent derm referral). From Jan-22 - I did an autoimmune diet which was pretty much give up processed food and then once a week have 1 treat meal (where you have anything you like without it turning into a binge session) - yes it helped a lot. Plus I chose to give up any processed foods and it still didn't stop my flares. This article is what set me about fixing my gut microbiome - don't sign up for Zoe as I did and it made no difference - https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/11/unlocking-the-gut-microbiome-and-its-massive-significance-to-our-health - I do like to follow Dr Megan Rossi on IG listed in it... plus I'm an identical twin and the only one to have suffered psoriasis twice, I was last clear of guttate p in 2004 after light treatment and a trip to the Dead Sea. So Jul-23 I began experimenting and from Oct-23 to date I have found what works for me. I learned early this year that I got plaque psoriasis within a month of the Covid injection. I've had a lot of crazy allergy/reactions since - which now makes a whole lot of sense when I now look back. I managed to get 97% clear of psoriasis and have not had a flare ever since. I've not been well since January this year and still no flare. So I chose to become a human guinea pig (I got discharged from dermatology due to wanting to find natural solutions), as medicine now causes me to suffer such dreadful side effects, and I would happily donate my blood for psoriasis research if it could help find a natural solution. I'm now 54 but want to give you hope that you'll find something that works for you too!!! I have also kept up the primarily healthy eating too - it's transformed my tastebuds forever!!!! best wishes @paradiselost & stay strong!! xx

Hi @acrazydoglady Thank you for your message. You mention that from October 2023 to date, you have found what works for you. Is this just sticking to an anti-inflammatory diet, or are there any other tips or tricks that you can share? Thank you!

hi @paradiselost Please note this is purely my experience and what I've learned on my food journey of discovery - as I'm 97% clear, so I haven't mastered full clearance yet, but I'm also fast approaching my 1 year anniversary of being flare up free! So this is all food for thought for you if at all helpful as to what I've learned along the way as I will admit I've wasted a lot of time along the way - as we all know hindsight is a wonderful thing! So, yes, my top tip is definitely try diet first before anything else, Be strict with your diet for a 1 month period - to see if food is/isn't a trigger for you and whether you continue your food journey of discovery or not. As to me - it definitely flagged that I've got food sensitivities. I already know I have medical drug sensitivities as I have dreadful side effects to any prescription meds. As I saw a significant difference in only 1 month from my Enstilar burnt skin look - I've attached my pics to Dropbox via here to give you an idea as to why I've remained so motivated - Before & after was 2022 - when I first started before diet (pic on left) and after 1 month of strict anti-inflammatory diet (on right) https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dyglyqc4kzbjepf5fc5yl/beforeandafter.jpg?rlkey=z68b5egym2svg94i96ma518rk&st=t7enhgi1&dl=0 and https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hs9or7e685yltasiw1o14/jan24.jpg?rlkey=v7gwrpsjlqfru3sdlsb15cwz2&st=mw5yjv45&dl=0 then - Jan-24 - 3 months post my Oct-23 discoveries (as I read an article that some of us are not what we eat, that we don't have the right bacteria in our guts to digest & process nutrients - which explained why I still kept getting flare ups) so I also take a probiotic & and a polyphenol supplement (I saw even greater results within 2 weeks - so you know very quickly if something is/isn't working for you). I'm also convinced this is why some are incredibly lucky by eating only blueberries (polyphenols) to get clear. As the gut microbiome is such a huge recent discovery - there is so much more to be learned about it.... Have a read of this research - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9321451/ - obviously a lot of it whizzed over my head as I've got zero medical knowledge, but it gave me a lot of inspiration on the information it did share! So as we all have very different gut microbiomes based on that earlier Guardian article - which is why there is no one size fits all natural solution without further research - so it's all about discovering what works for you and not just copying someone else. I'm no cook and I just fling things together. I haven't given up alcohol (just sugar ones). So keep a food diary so you can document any trends/issues - it might not just be food though, you might have had a stressful work day, so I wouldn't automatically jump to excluding foodstuffs, which is what I did and it didn't change anything! Variety is the spice of life & important! Food had always been a source of comfort for me in times of stress, and still is, but I now make wiser choices based on what I've learned on my journey of discovery - as I've found cutting out UPF (ultra processed foods) 99.9% of the time (I only have them very infrequently) has made a massive difference - have a read - https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/sep/06/ultra-processed-foods-the-19-things-everyone-needs-to-know - waving goodbye to the sugar monster - no more milk chocolate/sweeteners/crisps etc - I don't miss them, it's given me new tastebuds. So you need to find suitable alternatives for your favourite things that can continue to make you happy, for example - I make my 25g daily popped corn in the microwave & just add my Herbamare salt - not only am I getting a fibre fix - it's massively helped my other gut issues! As I went gluten free, nightshade free and dairy free, and I didn't notice any effect on my psoriasis - other than it's massively improved my acid reflux issues. So as I used to love pasta - I now have red lentil or chickpea pasta and it still tastes the same! Some say that avoiding or denying yourself certain foods can be damaging to your mental health. Instead, they suggest following an 80/20 rule, where you focus on eating nutrient-rich foods 80% of the time, and less nutrient-dense foods 20% of the time. So I'm now really good on work days (Mon-Fri) and allow myself more non-UPF treats at the weekend (my days off) and I now follow the Med diet due the success I've had with increasing polyphenols in my diet. So if you do give a diet a whirl - do post back how you get on & I send lots of positive vibes, wish you lots of luck & hugs & strength! xx